Officer compelled to 'leak' documents

INNISFIL/BWG — Former police chief Bruce Davis’s retirement package is a key component of “leaked” documents that led to police act charges against a South Simcoe Police sergeant, the Journal has learned.
In a Jan. 7 recorded telephone conversation obtained by the Journal, Sgt. John Chalmers says he was given a document that he took to Innisfil Coun. Doug Lougheed in an effort to deal with what he called “unbelievable” findings.
“What I was given, I couldn’t sit on it. It was the way I was brought up. I just said no way. I can’t let this go,” Chalmers said during the 20-minute conversation. “I was basically given a document about the chief and his (retirement) payout and the whole bit .... It made me sick. I went to Doug Lougheed and said I’ve had enough. I’ve had enough of this bullshit.”
Chalmers faces several charges under the Police Services Act for allegedly removing confidential information. Chief Rick Beazley laid the charges based on an investigation conducted by York Regional Police last winter.
“There was a document that was given to me. I did what I did with it. I admitted to it. I told them, I said yup, I did it. I absolutely did it. I’m the one who gave the document to Doug Lougheed. That’s no secret. I gave it to the councillor and Dougie and I decided what we should do with it and I think we did the wrong thing with it. I think we should have done something more with it.”
Lougheed, a retired South Simcoe Police Staff-Sergeant, said he would comment on his role after the Police Act charges are dealt with.
“I’m in a bit of a bind here,” he said. “I don’t want to jeopardize Chalmers’ case.”
The digitally recorded conversation was also sent to Chief Beazley, the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services and the Ontario Civilian Police Commission (OCPC), with a request for an independent investigation.
During the recorded conversation, Chalmers said he believes the police service does not want the information in the documents to be made public.
“From what I understand, they don’t want this to get out. if it does it will destroy the whole police service. The police service will be gone if this gets out,” Chalmers said.
Chalmers case was put over to Feb. 19 during a conference call between the prosecution, defence and hearing officer this morning (Jan. 31). In the meantime, Chalmers remains on "desk duty" with the force. Prosecutor Ian Johnstone told hearing officer Morris Albers this morning "that there may be a resolution and we are moving forward on the issue".
In a related September 2010 recording obtained by the Journal, Deputy Mayor Dan Davidson said some municipal politicians wanted to remove Chief Davis from office but were put off by a “golden handshake of more than $500,000” in his contract, which had no expiry date.
“So we’d have to find a way where we wouldn’t have to pay that out,” Davidson said at the time. “We’d have to be very careful. Any other police chief in Ontario would have loved to have that contract.”
Davis had an open-ended contract that was secured when Bradford and Innisfil police amalgamated in 1997 to create South Simcoe Police.
Davis retired Jan. 1 2012, a few months after he pleaded guilty to neglect of duty for illegally firing Const. Dave Oliver in 2008.
The only public reference to Davis’s retirement package came in the provincial Sunshine List, which showed he was paid $328,000 for his final year.
Davis’ base salary in 2011 was about $176,836. The remainder was part of Davis’s retirement package following a lengthy career in municipal policing, Deputy Chief Allan Cheesman said last March.